The field of this invention relates to a mounting apparatus for a rotatable reel and more particularly to reels which are used in gaming devices wherein the reels are rotatably driven for a certain period of time and then stopped with the reels then displaying a certain type of observable indicia through a window associated with the reels.
It is to be understood that the subject matter of this invention will be discussed primarily in conjunction with a gaming device which is frequently referred to as a "slot machine". However, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that the structure could be readily used in any other environment. It is not intended that the structure of this invention be restricted to the use within the environment of gaming devices.
Gaming devices such as "slot machines" have long been known and are in widespread usage within certain States, certain Countries and certain Cities of the world. The common form of such a gaming device is utilized as a housing within which is mounted a plurality of rotating reels. Mounted on the periphery of each reel is certain type of indicia arranged in a particular pattern. Common type of indicia would be representations of different cards of a deck of cards with the reels containing the suits of "Diamonds", "Clubs", "Hearts" and "Spades". At other times, these reels would include other types of indicia such as representations of fruits (oranges, plums, lemons, cherries, etc.).
These reels are mounted within a housing and each reel is designed to be rotatably driven and sequentially randomly stopped. The housing includes a window which is aligned with a longitudinal segment of the reels. Through this window one can observe an aligned sequence of the indicia located on the reels.
In the past, it has been common to activate the gaming device through manual operation of a lever. In more recent times, activation of the gaming device occurs electrically with this electrical activation either occurring by movement of a lever or through a button.
Some gaming devices of the past have included three reels while others included four and still others included five reels. Generally, it has been found that customers tend to prefer the greater number of reels in a gaming device. In the past, the greater number of wheels, the wider the housing of the gaming device. The common housing width of a five reel gaming device would be at least twenty-one inches. It has been found that gaming devices can be constructed to be only seventeen inches in width with that being a sufficient distance between the next adjacent gaming device to provide adequate room for the customers using the devices. Within a single large room of a casino there may be literally thousands of such gaming devices. If all of the gaming devices were of only seventeen inches in width, as opposed to twenty-one inches of width, there could be a substantially increased number of the gaming devices located within the single room. This is of a particular economical advantage. However, prior to the present invention it has not been possible to construct a gaming device with five in number of reels and have that gaming device to be only seventeen inches in width.